


What You Mean to Me

by orphan_account



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, im gonna add like random villians or side characters or something that aren't canon, like stupid shopkeepers or smth, lots of headcanons beware, maybe slight cursing, not gonna lie my inner emo might come out with this one, prolly some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2020-11-25 15:10:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20914148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Mao Mao and Badgerclops had a lot of adventures before they came to Pure Heart Valley. Some of them didn't involve monsters but were more about growing closer to each other.





	1. Warm

The cool wind blows through the fur on my arms as I soar high in the air upon my aerocycle. Trees pass below me, so fast that I can hardly differentiate them from the huge mass of the forest. Two arms are wrapped around me, one warm, one cold. A familiar face is rested upon my shoulder, and I am engulfed in my best friend’s warming embrace. I can’t tell if he’s sleeping, but I’m close to passing out myself. Looking out at the moon rising over the horizon, I think it’s a good idea to set up camp soon.  
“Badgerclops?” I speak in a hushed tone and feel a rousing behind me. A soft groan comes from him as he comes back to life, he buries his face into the crook of my neck.  
“What is it, Mao?” he murmurs into my cape, which is tucked safely between us.  
I glance quickly in his direction, making sure not to take my eyes off of the sky for more than a second. Safe driving is important after all. Especially with a passenger, a crash with such precious cargo would be unforgivable.  
“About time we made up camp,” I yawn, almost on cue, “I’m starting to get tired."  
Badgerclops stirs, sitting up, but not releasing me from his grasp. I can feel him stretch, arching his back as a house cat would do. Strange, he acts more like a cat than I do. I always find it somewhat funny; A big bad badger man with a metal arm and an eyepatch lazing around, more concerned with what's for lunch than the well-being of the general public.  
A large yawn comes from behind me, "Where we camping?" He asks.  
I scan the landscape beneath us and spot a small clearing. A break in the trees, and what I believe is a small pond, "There," I point towards the clearing and immediately head to our destination.  
"Yo dude," Badgerclops shouts, "Be careful!"  
I chuckle as I feel his grip on my waist tighten. I circle the aerocycle around to this small clearing and make a steady landing.  
The grassy area is a lot smaller than originally thought it was. There is just enough area to set up a small camp and for both of us to comfortably sleep. There is a small line of trees between the clearing and the pond that I saw from above, I can see the crystal clear water shimmering in the moonlight.  
"Nice pick dude," Badgerclops hops off of the aerocycle, clasping his hands together and stretching with an audible groan, "should I start a fire?"  
I drop off of the aerocycle, parking it carefully. I turn around to face my companion, he has already switched out his right hand for a lighter, "Sure, but try to find sticks instead of cutting up any," I look out to the line of the treetops, "This forest is pretty, let's keep it that way."  
Badgerclops laughs, "Bold of you to assume that I'd put in that kind of effort," he bends down and begins to rummage in a small pile of leaves just within the trees.  
I watch as Badgerclops gathers a few sticks and some leaves, mostly leaves. He brings back a huge armful of dead leaves and sticks, plops them down in the middle of the clearing, and attempts to set them on fire. He succeeds after a few attempts and the lighter retracts into his arm, being replaced with his hand. Badgerclops locates a small log and kicks it over by his small fire. He plops down and leans up against his little log, throwing his arms behind his head.  
It's such a serene scene. The light of the fire lights up Badgerclops' face in a strange, beautiful kind of way. The orange glow of the growing flame against his blue eye, the glint of the moonlight reflected in the shiny metal of his right arm, I'd take a picture if I had a camera. Well, if it wouldn't be such a weird thing to do.  
A cold gust of wind overtakes me, and I step over to the fire. I sit down a few feet away from Badgerclops. In a weird sort of way, I wish that I could sit in the crook of his arm, warm and safe.   
That's not what heroes do though, heroes are the source of safety and warmth. Heroes don't need safety, they give it to others in need. And I am a hero.  
I wrap my cape around my body and scoot a bit closer to the fire.  
"Cold Mao?" I hear Badgerclops' calm voice ask. I turn to see his arms down, and he's patting the ground next to him, "C'mon man, you know I'm a living heater."  
He's right, the man emits so much heat that it's somewhat concerning. Maybe it's all that fur, or perhaps it's his large amount of muscle. He's so strong, almost rugged, even though I've seen him soften over the short amount of time we've spent together. He smiles a lot more than when we first met, his shoulders have relaxed, and even his eye has softened up, looking less fierce and more friendly.   
That big blue eye and a beckoning motion from his hand convince me to scoot myself over to his side. He smiles, wrapping his "flesh arm" as he calls it, around me. An unexpected move, but an appreciated one nonetheless.  
"Warm?" He asks, not breaking his gaze with the fire. A small smile lines his face.  
"Yeah," I reluctantly groan.  
"Cool."  
I feel my face becoming warm, but not because of Badgerclops' body heat. I feel warm, inside and out. And it feels good. Really good.


	2. Beans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mao Mao wakes up and Badgerclops is gone, but his arm isn't.

I am dragged into consciousness by something that I'm not quite aware of. I rub my eyes, opening them to an empty camp. Empty of everything except a shiny metal arm.  
Panic immediately sets in, but I try my best to keep calm, I crawl over a few feet to see not only Badgerclops' arm but the base of it too. Now, I've seen his arm pop out of it's "socket" but I've never seen the base of it come off. I thought it was attached to him.  
I suddenly get a glimpse of something rippling through the small treeline leading to the pond. Crawling in the direction of the pond, I reach for Geraldine. If this thing did anything to Badgerclops it wouldn't see the light of day.  
I creep up towards the treeline, as silent as a mouse, my hand on the hilt of my sword. Time to be a hero Mao Mao.  
A ripple in the moonlit water alerts me once more, but my tension is immediately released when I see two familiar brown ears pop out of the water. Badgerclops' head emerges, followed by his shoulders, below that is concealed by the reflection of the sky on the water, creating a void of stars, purple and blue.  
My jaw drops, I've never seen Badgerclops without his arm, I honestly wasn't sure if he had even lost all of it or if he somehow put armor on a longer stump. I can now tell, just by the dip in his right shoulder, that there is nothing left.  
For one, perfect moment, he has his eye closed. The light of the moon illuminates his fur, dripping with water. His ears twitch gently, and I can see the slightest flare of his nose, maybe there's water in it. Then it opens.  
"Mao Mao!?" He lowers himself farther into the water, leaving just his head above the surface.  
“Are you okay?” I ask, “You’re arm-“  
“Yeah, I know,” Badgerclops snips back at me, “I’m fine okay.”  
I let out a sharp breath, he isn’t okay. I don’t know what it is, but he is not okay. Badgerclops would never get up in the middle of the night to take a dip. He wouldn’t even get up in the morning to go for a swim. And why is his arm off? I’ve seen it get wet, it wouldn’t be damaged.  
“What are you doing?” I demand. It comes out harsher than I expected.  
Badgerclops looks off to the left and bites his lip, “Listen can you just,” he exhales, “go back to the camp and let this go?”  
“No.”  
This catches him by surprise. He stares at me, eye wide and blue. The moonlit water surrounding him reflects that same shocked expression.  
“If I tell you what I’m doing will you leave?” Badgerclops looks away from me as he asks.  
“Sure,” I lie.  
Badgerclops takes in a deep breath, “So like, my arm is attached to me? But I have to take it off to clean underneath it every now and again or it gets uncomfortable,” he quickly dumps all this information onto me, “I didn’t wanna bother you man.”  
A moment of silence follows his words and the air suddenly becomes heavy. His expression tells me that there is more to the story than not wanting to bother me. I take it upon myself to lift the awkward aura in the air.  
“Can I see it?” I break the silence.  
“See what?” my companion’s eye widens in surprise.  
I roll my eyes, “Your stump.”  
“Hey! Don’t call it that,” Badgerclops moves his left arm towards his opposite shoulder. A tinge of red coats his face, “It’s not even a stump any way, it's kinda just,” he pauses, “gone.”  
A wave of confusion hits me. Gone? Must’ve been a nasty accident for it to be cut off above the shoulder. Now looking at the little bit of shoulder above the water, I can see that his right side is much shorter than the left one.  
“Oh,” is all I can force myself to say.  
Badgerclops looks down into the water. He stares down for a few seconds and I swear that I can see a tear roll down his face. He inhales deeply before speaking.  
“I’ll let you see it if you help me out,” He lifts his head, but he keeps his eye closed.  
My heart skips a beat, without hesitation, I rip off my cape, sash, and socks. I begin to wade into the water. It’s cold, I can feel the fur on my back stand up. As I get about waist deep, I realize just what I am doing. I’m wading into freezing water to help my friend with who knows what? Why am I doing this?  
No, it’s okay heroes help others that need it. Badgerclops needs my help right now, I’ll be his hero.  
I shake my head and continue slinking into the chilly pond, by the time I reach Badgerclops I’m in water up to my shoulders.  
“Alright, what do you need help with?” I feel a rush of confidence, I’m going to save my friend.  
Badgerclops brings his hand up to his face, embarrassment lining his cheeks, “Okay, so I can do all this by myself but,” he lowers his hand and touches my nose, “my claws are really rough and it’s,” he pauses, “sensitive.”  
Badgerclops looks away from me again. Silence hangs in the air, I have an idea of what he wants, but I don’t want to speak. If I speak he’ll understand how nervous I am.  
“And I mean, you have soft kitty paws,” the words leave his mouth with a hint of mischief.  
“I do not have ‘kitty paws,’” I snarl, “But I guess anything would be better than straight-up cartilage.”  
“They’re actually made out of keratin,” he smirks, “Basically really long fingernails.”  
My mind wanders, I picture Badgerclops as just having 6-inch acrylic nails. A shiver is sent down my spine. I try to get that image out of my mind as fast as I could.  
“Just promise me that you won’t laugh,” He looks me dead in the eye.  
I stare at him, “Why would I laugh?”  
A shimmer deep within his eye flashes for a moment, “Just promise me okay.”  
The last phrase was less of a question and more of a demand. A hint of aggression was in his voice, along with a bit of insecurity.  
I raise my right hand, “I promise.”  
Badgerclops takes a deep breath, and he closes his eye. I watch as he rises out of the water, presumably standing up from sitting as I can touch the bottom of the pond. As soon as his shoulder is out of the water my heart drops. His shoulder is cut short. Obviously, there is some amount of bone missing from his clavicle. It slopes right down to a flat area of pink skin. No fur or anything, it’s all just scar tissue. Around the area that the base of his robotic arm would be, it fades back into a thick layer of brown fur. His area of pink flesh is extremely smooth, like it was a clean cut.  
“Gnarly,” the word slips from my mouth as I stare.  
A soft chuckle comes from Badgerclops. I reach my hand up towards the pink scar tissue.  
Badgerclops pulls away, “Dude, it’s sensitive. No gloves.”  
I laugh, “You’re kidding right?”  
Badgerclops looks at me like I’m stupid. He reaches his own hand towards his right shoulder, placing it on top of it instead of over the scar.  
“No dude,” He stares me down.   
I exhale, he did show me his arm after all. I sort of owe him this.  
I rip off my left glove and am received with an immediate grasp on my wrist.  
“OH MY GOD, YOUR LITTLE BEANS!” Badgerclops squeals.  
Anger bubbles up in my chest, I feel a deep growl coming from me. I clench my left hand into a fist, only to have a large thumb pressed into my palm, forcing my fingers to straighten out.  
“So soft!” he swoons.  
“DO YOU WANT HELP OR NOT?” I feel my face getting hot as I shout at him. I feel sort of bad, but the last thing I need is him to be asking to see my paws all the time.  
Badgerclops caresses my index finger. My tiny finger is engulfed by his hand. My entire hand covers about half of his palm. He releases my wrist and drops his left hand.  
“I didn’t know you had beans,” he smiles. His smile sends a warm rush through me.   
“Why are you calling them beans?” I say as I take off my right glove and throw them both onto the edge of the pond.  
Badgerclops giggles, “They look like little jelly beans.”  
I let out a little laugh because, no matter how much I hate to admit it, my fingers do look like jelly beans. I reach up to his scar, and when my hand makes contact I immediately feel a slick film over it. It almost feels like oil.  
“What is this stuff?” I ask, rubbing my fingers together.  
Badgerclops shrugs and I feel a ripple underneath my hand as his muscle moves, “It’s pretty much just buildup from underneath my arm plate.”  
“Ew,” I say as I continue to caress his slick pink skin.  
Badgerclops chuckles, “That’s why I’ve got to clean it.”  
That reminds me of what I’m supposed to be doing. I reach into the water and cup my hands, bringing a fair amount of in up to his scar. I uncup my hands, letting the water flow down his skin.  
I run my hand down the stretch of pink skin. Some of the slick substance comes off fairly easily, and I can feel what the scar actually feels like underneath. It’s soft and fairly squishy.  
“Y’know,” Badgerclops starts, “I’ve never actually shown any of my friends my,” he trails off.  
“You alright?” I look up to him, his eye is directed towards the water.  
“Yeah I just, don’t know what to call it,” he chuckles, but I can hear the sadness in his voice.  
“Beans,” I blurt out.  
Badgerclops looks at me and laughs, “What?”  
I continue washing the gunk off of him, “You called my fingers Beans, so let's call it your Beans.”  
Badgerclops laughs, “That’s so grammatically incorrect,” he looks into my eyes, his own eye full of happiness, “but I love it.”  
I feel my face getting warm, and I try not to think about what he just said. The word “love” is a word I hardly ever hear. Hearing Badgerclops say it flips my whole world upside down. We haven’t known each other for more than a month and we are already showing each other our insecurities. My father has said he “loves” something that I’ve done or said maybe twice in my whole life and Badgerclops used the word within a month of our meeting.  
“Thank you, Mao Mao.”  
I look up at him, taking my attention off of his Beans. I’m sure that the confused look on my face told it all.  
“Thank you for doing this,” He looks away, “A lot of people would never do this for me, it means a lot.”  
My entire body heats up, and I begin to breathe heavily, “Your welcome,” I say quietly.  
I see a tear roll down Badgerclops’ cheek. I reach up and wipe it away. His eye meets mine and I can’t help but smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really dumb headcanon sorry yall.  
Anyway, I had this stupid idea like 2 weeks ago and I thought it was cute.


	3. Undercooked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mao Mao gets a bit worked up over a cooking mistake.

The morning air is crisp and cool. A gentle breeze shakes the top of the trees as I watch my freshly caught fish simmer over the fire. Turns out, there were some fish in the pond Badgerclops and I had swum in last night. That means that there’s a river leading out of it somewhere, and I know what we’ll be doing today.  
Badgerclops still lies asleep by the fire, snoring peacefully. I couldn’t bring myself to wake him, he deserves a little rest after last night’s events.  
The serine image of our encounter is stuck in my mind. It has been since it happened, my dreams were filled with that feeling. That feeling of being needed? Wanted? I’m not sure what it really is, but it makes me feel warm inside. It’s a good feeling.  
I shimmy the pan that my lousy fish is cooking on. The sizzling and crackling of its newfound movement must’ve set something off in Badgerclops’ mind.  
“Yo, what’s cookin’ good lookin’?” My companion rouses, stretching his long arms above his head.  
I shoot him a piercing glare, “good lookin’?” What is wrong with him? I feel my cheeks get a bit warm at his compliment though.  
I clear my throat and shake off the comment, “A fish,” I say in as neutral a tone as I can muster.  
Badgerclops scoots himself over to the fire that I am managing, his face lined with a cheeky smile. He watches the fish on the pan, almost infatuated with it.  
Badgerclops closes his eye, takes a deep breath, and lets it out. He sits there, the gentle breeze blowing through his fur. His ears twitch and sway with the wind. So peaceful.  
I take in the scene and look back down to my fish. I believe it’s done, and a hero’s instinct is never wrong. I pull the pan off of the makeshift rack that was holding it up. It consists of a few sticks carefully placed in a little teepee, barely stable enough to do the job, but I was intelligent enough to make it work.  
Immediately after I take the pan off of my teepee, it collapses. I let out a sharp breath, a real hero would have made a better rack than that. I stare at the pitiful little fish, I couldn’t even catch a decent-sized fish. I’m a cat for Geraldine’s sake! Cats are supposed to be good at-  
“You gonna cut that up, Mao Mao?” Badgerclops interrupts my train of thought. He looks concerned, “Or are you just gonna stare at it?”  
He lets out a little laugh, it brings a small smile to my face. His laugh is so goofy, it's the kind of laugh you’d hear in a kid’s show.  
“Do you have a-”  
“Knife?” he interrupts me, right hand replaced with a steak knife.  
I chuckle as I pass him the pan. With a quick slice, he cuts in “half.” And by half, I mean about 1 third to 2 thirds.  
He scarfs down the larger bit and passes me what’s left. I’m a bit irked by his taking of the larger piece, but I shouldn’t have expected anything else from him. To be fair, he is about twice my size.  
I take a bite, it’s undercooked. It can’t be, heroes don’t make silly mistakes like that. Badgerclops didn’t seem to mind though, maybe he’ll never know.  
I look up from my meal, trying not to think about my failure to fully cook it. Badgerclops is smiling gently at me.  
“What are you looking at?” I ask somewhat harshly.  
Badgerclops’ eye widens at my sudden change of tone. I can feel the silence hanging in the air, gnawing at me. Why’d I have to go and ruin the moment? I divert my gaze from my companion to the ground.  
“Sorry,” he says, “You just looked upset.”  
I take in a sharp breath, he’s not wrong. I hate how he can just tell how I feel by simply looking at me. Are criminals just conditioned to tell how you feel to effectively use manipulation tactics? Badgerclops doesn’t seem like the type to use manipulation as a weapon though.  
“Is it something I did?” Badgerclops asks, confusion lacing his voice.  
I shake my head, all he did was look in my direction. Why does that bother me so much? I can feel Badgerclops’ eye boring into me as I stare at the ground. Stop looking at me. Just look away and leave it alone.  
But he doesn’t.  
I feel a large hand rest on my shoulder, “Are you okay man?”  
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I feel my body tense up, like a kind of armor it shields me from feeling. But I don’t stop feeling. I feel Badgerclops’ hand move from my left shoulder to my back. I can feel his presence next to me, the warmth emanating from him. His fur is soft next to the cold metal of his arm, and I can feel his slow, steady breaths rise and fall against me.  
“Mao?”  
“I messed up the fish okay?” I blurt out, not opening my eyes.  
Badgerclops is silent for a moment before I feel a hand lifting my chin up, “That’s what all this is about?”  
I open my eyes but refuse to look at him. In the corner of my vision, I can see his big blue eye looking down at me. Not with the destain and pity I expected though. He looks at me with a kind, gentle gaze.  
Badgerclops moves his head to match up with my line of sight, “It’s just a fish, Mao Mao,” the corners of his mouth curl up slightly, “Plus, I thought it was pretty good.”  
“You’ll eat things out of the trash,” though I am still tense, I can feel my own mouth beginning to smile of its own will.  
Badgerclops lets out a small chuckle, “That doesn’t mean that I don’t have taste.”  
I laugh, the tension in my body starting to fade. I lean into the crook of Badgerclops’ arm a bit. His fur is much softer than it was yesterday. A quick wash really did wonders.  
“What have you got planned for today,” Badgerclops asks, “I know you’ve been plotting something.”  
I smile, he’s right, “I thought that we’d follow the river that runs into that pond, maybe there’s a town or something down that way.”  
He nods and rests his head on my own. My ears instinctively move to the sides. His own ears twitch against mine, it tickles. We sit peacefully for a moment, time passing slower as the wind dances gracefully through the leaves of the trees.  
Badgerclops lifts his head and points to the pan still in my lap, “You gonna eat that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so surprised at how many people read and enjoyed this! I'm really glad that y'all like my writing and thank you so much for your comments and kudos! :)


	4. Weird Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mao Mao and Badgerclops set off and find a new town, which is pretty weird.

Sometimes it’s better to ride the aerocycle on the ground. A lot of the time it’s actually a hassle, but because of the thick forest, the visibility would be awful from the air. Plus it’s a lot more gentle, the cold, harsh wind that you face in the air is much less aggressive. It's much more peaceful.  
What is with me and peace lately, I’m a warrior, I should be thinking of my next battle, not what view of the forest is most serine.  
I hop onto the aerocycle, awaiting the familiar feeling of the bounce that Badgerclops causes as he gets on. The aerocycle dips and I feel two large arms wrap around me. I rev up the engine and we’re off.   
I feel a pressure on my back as Badgerclops leans into me. We aren’t going as fast as usual, and I think he’s noticed.  
“Is that crystal acting up?” he asks gently into my ear.  
I shake my head, “No, I checked before we left,” I turn my head slightly to the left, “I’m just going slow so we don’t hit any trees.”  
Badgerclops nods, and instead of returning his head to its position behind me, he places it on my shoulder. He’s getting much too comfortable with this. Though I can’t say that I don’t enjoy it, it isn’t the safest thing to be doing.   
Having his face so close to me could be a distraction, he’s so... distracting. He won’t even be doing anything and I’ll find myself staring at him. Perhaps it’s because he’s a previous criminal, and I feel the need to keep a watch on him. But he’s treated me in such a way that no one who would betray me would.  
Not even Bao Bao gave me this type of treatment. We had been friends for years and not once did he share his insecurities, he never made me feel like that.  
I snap back into reality, mere seconds have passed, but seconds that should have been focused on the path in front of me.  
I take a deep breath and release it, the breeze is surprisingly calming. The trees pass by quickly, and I can see the curves in the river ahead. I can almost spot an end to the trees.  
The seemingly endless forest comes to a halt a few moments after Badgerclops and I start off, I was hoping for a longer stretch of wooded area.   
As soon as the trees cut off, tall, itchy grass covers the ground. I hate grass. It gets in my eyes and mouth. Badgerclops sits up and spits something out, coughing uncontrollably.  
I pull up on the aerocycle, bringing us into the air. I hear Badgerclops coughing and hacking something up behind me.  
“Are you okay?” I shout behind me.  
Badgerclops continues hacking but puts a hand on my shoulder. I spot a place to land with slightly less grass than the rest of the area and lower us down.  
I turn around and slap my companion’s back a few times before a large chunk of some kind of wheat-like plant comes flying out of his mouth. He breathes heavily for a moment, holding his throat. I rub his back as he regroups himself.  
“When I imagined myself choking to death I did NOT think it was going to be on a piece of grass,” Badgerclops chuckles, turning up towards me with a closed eye.  
I laugh a little, though the thought of Badgerclops dying is definitely not a thought that I want to entertain.  
“Are you good to go?” I ask him, my hand still moving back and forth across his back. His muscles ripple as he laughs, it makes me a bit jealous. For how little he does he manages to maintain quite a bit of muscle mass.  
“Yeah,” Badgerclops nods, sitting up, “Thanks for that man.”  
He smiles that big goofy smile.  
The rest of the aerocycle ride is quite uneventful. That is until we come across a road, a dirt road but a road nonetheless. I pull the aerocycle down onto it and ride along on the ground.   
Badgerclops seems to enjoy the scenery, he points out a few particularly pretty bushes along the way. I shrug his fascination off, but it's nice to see him so excited about something other than food.  
“Look at that cloud, it's shaped like a dick!” He shouts, pointing upward towards the sky.  
I look towards where he is pointing, and lo and behold I see a phallic-shaped cloud. I sigh, shaking my head. Of course, he would make that connection.  
“Aww, that one looks like a heart,” Badgerclops says, much more calmly, a sweetness lining the tone of his voice.  
I look back up and spot the new cloud he has caught sight of. A very defined heart-shaped cloud is just to the left of us, the point at the bottom pointing directly towards a small town, that I hadn’t noticed until now.  
I smile at the sky, the cloud seems like it’s beckoning me. I make a sharp turn in the direction of the cloud and its corresponding town. I feel Badgerclops’ grip on my waist tighten. He gasps, startled.  
“Dude, what are you doing?” He tucks his head behind mine.  
Badgerclops’ face is pressed into my back, I can feel his breath on my spine. It sends an electric pulse throughout my body. His arms are wrapped fully around me, one of his arms is as thick as my torso. It’s sort of funny how he clings onto me when we’re on the road like I’m the only thing that keeping him from falling off.  
I’m a great driver, so he has nothing to worry about, but it is nice to feel him holding onto me like a safety blanket.  
We ride into the small town, spotting a few people on our way through the entrance. It seems like there are a lot of people with cybernetics, some with prosthetic legs, arms, and even a few with cybernetic eyes. Perhaps Badgerclops won’t stick out like a sore thumb in this town, though it is always something to be wary of, criminals often use cybernetics to enhance themselves and become more of a threat.   
I slow the aerocycle to a suburban pace, attempting to abide by any traffic regulations this town may have. Looking side to side I see many people looking us up and down.  
One particular citizen with a metal plate covering the left side of his face stares at me, making a nasty look in my direction. It makes me uneasy.  
“Hey, what’s with these people?” Badgerclops leans into my ear, whispering gently.  
It seems that most people along the road are staring at me and me only. Usually, it’s the other way around, citizens mostly stare at my partner. His arm often draws attention in the average towns. I find it both understandable and ridiculous. Yes, criminals are often associated with prosthetics, but what was he supposed to do after losing an arm? Was he supposed to live a hellish life without his dominant hand? He overcame it, built himself an arm, and now look at him. He’s so strong, he was able to overcome such a monumental challenge. I respect that.  
I pull the aerocycle into an empty parking spot. Both Badgerclops and I take off our helmets, putting them in the side compartment of the aerocycle.  
“Y’know I should make some helmets that like,” Badgerclops pauses, “put themselves away.”  
I laugh, “Now that’s just silly. How would that even work?”  
Badgerclops gets off of the aerocycle, “I’m not sure, but it’d be cool.”  
I nod. It would be somewhat pointless, but I can admit that it would make us look cool. I can imagine crowds watching us pull up, and as our helmets retract they all gasp in awe. “Mao Mao and Badgerclops are here to save us!” They cheer.  
“Earth to Mao Mao?” I hear a voice that rips me out of my trance, a familiar metal hand waving in front of me.  
I shake my head, “What?”  
Badgerclops sighs, “I asked if you wanted to check this place out,” he chuckles, “I wouldn’t mind sitting here all day, but I doubt that’s your plan.”  
I nod, “Yeah,” I take in my surroundings.  
I've parked us in an almost empty parking lot with stone streets, most of this town has stone streets actually. To the left of us is a restaurant, bustling with business. I don't see a single person in the diner without some type of prosthetic, or cybernetic enhancement. To the right of us is what looks like a hotel, with a blinking sign. It looks a bit run down, but in a charming way, like its been up and running for awhile.  
Across the street are various stores with everything from cell phones to antiques. There is also what appears to be an apartment complex.  
"OH DUDE!" Badgerclops exclaims, pointing to the diner to our left, "lets get some munch."  
"What the hell is munch" I ask.  
Badgerclops' eye widens. He reaches back and scratches his neck, a bit embarassed, "It's one of those dumb british things they say. I think it means lunch."  
I laugh, "If you don't know what it means then why do you say it?"  
He turns to me, face a light shade of pink, "It's force of habit."  
I nod, locking up the aerocycle and heading towards the entrance of the diner. I beckon for Badgerclops to follow me. He hurries behind me.  
"We gonna get us some cheeky nandos mate?" I ask playfully.  
Badgerclops groans behind me. Clapping the back of my shoulder, he retaiates.  
"Okay Mr. Specific Ocean," he laughs, mischief coating his tone.  
"That was one time!" I growl through my teeth. Geography is not my strong suit okay? I would never admit that though.  
Badgerclops and I walk into the resturaunt, the inside has the aesthetic of a 50's style diner, with a futuristic flare to it. Instead of normal stools by the bar, the stools are connected to the floor by a loose coil that winds downward. Much of the decor is chrome coated, and a juke box sits against the wall with a little green alien figure sitting on top of it.  
"Ha-a-ave a seat anywhere," a waitress says with a smile. She is a sheep with milky white wool and a robotic leg.  
Badgerclops leads me to a booth by the window closest to the main road. It gives me a chance to appreciate just how beautiful this town is.  
"Here are your menus," the same waitress from earlier comes to our table, she is wearing one of those pink poodle dresses and a headband with bouncy alien antenna, "what ca-a-an I get for your drink?"  
She smiles at Badgerclops, and turns to me with a cautious look on her face, but still maintaining her wait staff attitude.  
"I'll have a lemonade," Badgerclops flips through the menu happily.  
"Water please," I say, opening my own menu.  
"One lemonade and one water coming right up!" She hurries away, somewhat hobbling on her prosthetic.  
I look up from my menu for a split second. Badgerclops sits with a small smile on his face. The afternoon light bounces off of his fur, showing off how shiny it is. His eye glimmers in the sunlight, focused one-hundred percent on his own menu.  
I have to force myself to pull my eyes away from him and focus back on what I am going to order.  
I decide upon an omelette, which is in the breakfast portion of the menu. They serve breakfast all day, which I take as a blessing. An omelette is a much better option than a greasy burger.  
"Are you two ready to order?" The waitress is back, and has a pen and paper in hand.  
"I'll have a double bacon cheeseburger with fries please," Badgerclops smiles at her.  
"Good choice," she smiles sweetly before turning to me, "and you sir?"  
"I'll have a ham and cheese omelette," I hand her the menu, and she takes it hesitantly.  
"Coming right up," she says with a tremble in her voice.  
Badgerclops glares at me. His eye is squinted with pure rage in my direction. I've never seen him exert this kind of anger, let alone towards me.  
"What?" I throw up my hands defensively.  
Badgerclops grits his teeth, "You didn't say please."  
I laugh. Badgerclops, the man that would not hesitate to con someone out of their life savings for a cupcake, is worried about manners.  
"Badgerclops," I say, "I've seen you belch as loud as a lion in restaurants fancier than this."  
He crosses his arms, "I may be disgusting, but I'm not rude."  
I shake my head, laughing a bit, "Okay, I'll apologize when she comes back," I smile.  
Badgerclops smiles back, "That's more like it," he rests his head on his hand.  
In just a few moments, the waitress returns with our food. She places the tray on the table in front of us, smiling that same classic waitress smile.  
"Thank you," I nod before continuing, "I apologize if I've come off as rude, it's been a long day."  
She looks at me, surprised, "Oh it's no problem, I've had much worse," she smiles, turning her head to Badgerclops.  
"Oh my, I a-a-absolutely love your arm!" She swoons with a gasp, "One like that must've cost a fortune!"  
"An arm and a leg," Badgerclops fires back, causing a sheepish giggle from our waitress.  
I glare at the side of her head, who does she think she is? Complimenting him? It's almost like she's trying to sway him over to her side. I know how easy it is to win him over, and I don't think I have his full trust yet. I am not losing my partner to a waitress.  
I have to retaliate.  
As soon as the waitress hobbles away, I put my plan into motion.  
"Have I ever told you that your eye is so captivating?" I lean forward on the table, head resting on my fist.  
Badgerclops fans himself with his hand, "No you haven't," he giggles, "I'm so flattered."  
I continue, "And you're so smart, your technological prowess is very impressive."  
Badgerclops leans forward on the table, smiling, "Mao Mao, what's gotten into you?"  
"Well, I just thought you deserved to know," I look directly into his eye. This causes his face to grow red.  
"Well thank you," he turns his head, smiling widely.  
Oh yeah, it's all coming together now. I smile, beginning to cut up and eat my omelette. It's really good, I'll make sure to leave a good tip.  
"You know, I've never really told you," Badgerclops starts, "But I really appreciate you, you saved me, you didn't put me in jail, and I mean you're actually nice to me."  
I stare at him, he's looking down at the table. My heart skips a beat, this was not part of the plan.  
"Like those Thicket Thieves just wanted some extra muscle, but you care about me. You help me out when I need it and," he laughs, "I guess I don't have to put up this act around you."  
My face gets hot. What is he doing? This is not the response that I expected. All I was looking for was a swoon or two to get him leaning in my direction again, but this?  
"All I'm tryna say is," he grabs my hand, "Thank you."  
My body locks up. Why is he grabbing my hand? This is not the kind of thing you do to your friend in public.  
"How are you two doing over here?" Our waitress trails off, face going pale like she's seen a ghost, but soon returning to its, rattled, but cordial smile, "Can I get either of you a-a-a refill?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told y'all it was long  
It's a little less soft and a little more guys being dudes being gay kinda thing, tell me how you like it. I mean not all chapters will be like this but we gotta have some dude bro interaction.  
Also wth is with ao3 and not adding indents? It kinda pisses me off but whatever.


	5. Legendary Role Model

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mao Mao sets a legendary example and decides to go to a funny looking store.

Badgerclops and I leave the diner less hungry and a lot more flustered. I believe that I went a bit overboard with the compliments, and now Badgerclops will not let it go.  
I look across the street to the shops that I spotted earlier. I wonder if that would take Badgerclops’ mind off of my exaggerated compliments. Not that they themselves are not true, Badgerclops is very smart, and his eye is absolutely stunning, but I should not have said that kind of thing in public.  
“You wanna check out those shops over there?” I point across the street.  
Badgerclops looks to where I’m pointing, “Sure,” he shrugs.  
I smile, taking one step into the street before I feel an arm pull me backward roughly.  
“Dude watch out!” Badgerclops pulls me back into his arms as a large car rumbles by.  
My heartbeat quickens, I literally could have just died. I reach up to touch the arm wrapped around my chest, it’s warm. It’s comforting. I laugh.  
Badgerclops releases me, concern spread across his face, “Are you okay Mao Mao?”  
“Never been better!” I exclaim, voice cracking a bit. I Hardly notice it though, adrenaline is running through my veins.  
Badgerclops pats my head, pushing my ears back almost like he’s petting me. Though it is extremely humiliating, it is fairly calming so I’ll let it slide. My heartbeat slows and I recognize my stupidity.  
“We should probably use the crosswalk,” Badgerclops points behind me, and wouldn’t you know, a crosswalk lies about 5 feet away from me.  
I am a bit embarrassed. My focus on trying to get Badgerclops’ mind off of my mistake caused another mistake. This one could’ve gotten me killed.   
I laugh, “Yeah, that would be a good idea.”  
Badgerclops takes his hand off of my head, I didn’t even notice that he was still touching me.   
We head towards the crosswalk. I’m sure to be much more observant, watching for cars in both directions and-  
I feel a hand grasp mine, and I freeze. I turn slowly to my right, only to see Badgerclops facing forward, acting as if nothing is amiss. I look down. He’s just holding onto my right hand as if it’s nothing! What is he thinking?  
I clear my throat, “Badgerclops,” I say under my breath.  
He snaps his head in my direction, “Hmm?”  
My eyes widen, “What are you doing?”  
Badgerclops looks down at me like I’m crazy. He squints at me, raising his right hand in a questionary gesture.  
“Waiting for the pedestrian light?” He chuckles and turns his head back towards the street.  
I’m baffled. Is this normal where he’s from?  
“I mean with my hand.”  
Badgerclops glances back at me, and down towards our hands. I get a glimpse of a hint of embarrassment, before he shrugs it off, shaking his head.  
“Dude, safety first,” He begins walking as the light shows a little white man walking, “ever heard of the buddy system?”  
"Yes," I nod, "I have heard of the buddy system."  
Badgerclops smiles, not looking at me, "Safer for everyone," he and I are about halfway across the road, "it's prevented millions of deaths worldwide."  
I shake my head, "No it hasn't."  
Badgerclops and I step up onto the opposite curb, "How do you know it hasn't?" He asks.  
"Because-"  
Badgerclops interrupts me, "You don't, those deaths don't happen because of the buddy system, so you'd never know about them."  
"What?" I am utterly confused. The buddy system doesn't save lives, does it?  
"Don't you wanna be an example of safety?" Badgerclops looks at me, his face is dead serious.  
I guess that would be a good idea. If the buddy system really saves lives, I would want to set a good example. I can see it now, "Mao Mao, Legendary Role Model" no, that doesn't sound cool enough. I'll think about that later, but I would definitely love to be a legendary role model.  
I shrug my shoulders, "I guess that is a good idea."  
We continue walking down the sidewalk, getting some odd glances. I assume that most of the people here are not familiar with the idea of safety first, seeing that many of them are missing a limb.  
I wonder what kinds of things the people of this town would be selling. A few stores look like “Mom and Pop shops” and others look like chain stores. One particular store catches my eye.  
In large font, the word “Stacy’s” is displayed above the door. In the windows, there are a few dark-colored clothing items, and a heavily pierced tiger is restocking one of the displays. Dark and brooding, just my style.  
“Let’s go in there,” I point to the shop.   
Badgerclops looks at me, dumbfounded, “You want to go into Stacy’s?”  
I nod, “Yeah.”  
He chuckles, “I mean okay, just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”  
I drag Badgerclops into the store by his left hand, and he follows, surprisingly without protest. The second that we are inside, we’re greeted with booming music that sounds as if someone is screaming into the microphone. It’s extremely unpleasant, but Badgerclops seems to enjoy it. He is bobbing his head to the beat.  
“I haven’t heard this song in years,” he says, smiling.  
I lead him towards a rack of shirts, most of which are black with different designs and logos on them. I assume they are the name of bands, none of which I can recognize.  
“Yo!” Badgerclops points to the shirt I’m currently looking at, “They have Tangled Brother merch?”  
I glare at him, “What is a Tangled Brother?”  
Badgerclops gasps, placing his hand on his chest, “Only one of the best bands from the 1980’s”  
“You weren’t even alive in the ’80s,” I respond, raising my shoulders.  
“That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the culture,” he sighs.  
I laugh, Badgerclops is a strange creature indeed. Whatever Tangled Brother is, the shirt advertising it does look pretty cool. An angry-looking lion with a septum piercing pops out from the black of the t-shirt.  
“Hello,” I am surprised by the same worker I saw in the window, “Do you need help finding anything today?” they say in a monotone voice.  
“No, thank you,” I smile.  
They look back at me like a smile is something they’ve never seen before, “Alright, might I recommend the back for y’all?”  
“No we’re good,” Badgerclops chokes out.  
“Okay,” the tiger walks away, attending to the counter.  
I look back at Badgerclops in confusion, “Why can’t we go to the back?”  
“Trust me man, you don’t want to go to the back,” Badgerclops continues scanning a shelf, “Hey watch this!” Badgerclops sticks his right hand into a bucket of trinkets and pulls it out with various magnets stuck to him.  
“I want to go to the back,” I say, ignoring his tomfoolery.  
“Y-” He starts, releasing my hand to wipe the magnets off of his arm, my hand feels somewhat empty without his in it, “You know what, you’re an adult, do what you want.”  
I take Badgerclops by the hand again, dragging him away from the entrance and towards what I would assume to be the back.  
About halfway through the store, something catches my eye. A display of rings, without any decoration on them. There are five, each one having a greatly larger circumference. I reach out with my free hand.  
“DON’T touch those Mao Mao,” Badgerclops commands, regarding his superior knowledge of this kind of establishment, I follow his demand.  
“What’s the point of having a ring that big?” I look back at my companion, “They’d be too big, even for you.”  
Badgerclops’ face goes completely red, “Mao Mao, I know you don’t know what you’re talking about but,” he puts his right hand across his face, “PLEASE, never say anything like that again.”  
“What?” I spit back, “You have big hands.”  
“Those aren’t for your hands,” Bagerclops looks up at me.  
Confused, I shrug and continue walking. We pass a few odd objects such as scandalous clothing, which I am not surprised to see. You get things like that in every store. Wait. What is that?  
“OH MY GOD!” I turn around, rushing out of the store with Badgerclops in tow.  
Once we are out of the store, I continue walking down the sidewalk, attempting to get as far away from that place as possible.  
“I told you not to go to the back,” Badgerclops chuckles as if he didn’t get a bit flustered from that whole ordeal.  
I ignore him, “Why was it purple?”  
Badgerclops laughs, “I don’t know man, I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loosely based off of my first time at Spencer's. Also, Badgerclops is into screamo/rock bands and you can't change my mind.


	6. Hotel Hijinnks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mao Mao gets to indulge in a good ole' fight, Badgerclops gets to infodump, what more could you want?

“Dude, I warned you,” Badgerclops chuckles, patting my shoulder.

I groan, destain radiates from me as we walk down the sidewalk, away from that awful store. I feel my companion’s hand rest upon my shoulder. 

“That doesn’t make it any less jarring,” I start, but a thought crosses my mind, “How do you know what all of that is for?”

I look up to see Badgerclops gazing in the other direction, obviously flustered. He laughs nervously, “I had a bit of an emo phase going on a few years ago,” He looks back at me, “that place is emo Heaven.”

I glare at him suspiciously, “That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Let’s just say I went to a public school and learned quite a bit about that kind of thing,” Badgerclops stares at me, obviously wanting to drop the issue.

Though I do have a few questions, I’ve been wanting to change the subject as well, “Why don’t we check into that hotel next to where we parked?” I suggest.

Badgerclops nods, “Good idea, I’m slumped.”

We race back across the road, and by “we” I mean me. Badgerclops takes his sweet, sweet time at the crosswalk. I feel like he’d rather get hit by a car than run even the slightest distance. To be fair, I’m sure that any car to hit him would sustain quite a bit more damage than he would himself. I’ve seen him take chunks out of sheer rock after being thrown into it. A pitiful little car would stand no chance.

I wait for him to rejoin me on the other side, tapping my foot.

“Dude, you know you aren’t supposed to run through those right?” He flicks my ear, causing me to shake my head.

I cock my head to the side, “What do you mean?”

Badgerclops guides me in the direction of the hotel, and explains his logic to me, “Literally the first thing you learn as a kid is not to run across the street,” he chuckles.

Doubt fills me, “And why are you concerned about what you are and aren’t supposed to do? You used to steal for a living.”

He laughs at me, that stupid goofy laugh, “I don’t, but I know you do.”

He’s right, I do.

I sigh, “I guess you’re right,” I drop my head, what would my father think? His son being a worse samaritan than a former criminal.

In fact, what would he think of me being in the company of a former criminal? Does a hero really take in a thief instead of turning him in? I took arguably the most dangerous member of the thicket thieves and just let him become my partner?

What does that make me? A criminal accomplice?

"What if they don't have any rooms?" Badgerclops breaks the silence between us. He talks as if he didn't just instill me with crippling self doubt.

I shrug, "We could just set up camp somewhere, like last night."

Badgerclops groans and drops his head, "I just wanna sleep in a bed for once, its been months!" He throws his hands up in a dramatic expression or annoyance.

"Months?" I ask.

He turns towards me, eye widened like a madman, "Yes," stops us in the middle of the sidewalk, grabbing my shoulders, "MONTHS MAO MAO!"

I shake off his gasp, attempting to restart our walking pace. The hotel is less than a block away, and I'd rather get there as quick as possible. It's getting quite late, and the sun is beginning to set.

"Well I'll make sure you get to sleep in a bed tonight, all right?" I declare.

Badgerclops picks the pace back up, and before I know it, we've arrived at the hotel.

It's a quaint little place, the outside is a bit worn, but in a charming way. No more than 2 floors, the place doesn't look like it has very many rooms. After all, this is a small town, I'm surprised this place even has a hotel to be honest. Must be the kind of town you pass through.

Badgerclops pulls open the outer door, holding it for me to walk through. Why did he do that? Does he think I can't do it myself?

I walk through, reluctantly, to say the least, and am met with every hero's dream.

"Give us all the money in the register, freak," Three men dressed in all black are holding up a terrified raccoon woman behind the counter.

I let out a deep, rumbling laugh. It's been a peaceful few days, but I've been itching for a fight.

The men spin around, and I am greeted with three reptilian stares. I put my hand gently on top of Geraldine, attempting to send a message. A threat.

Badgerclops steps through the door, obviously annoyed by the inconvenience. It'll take a minute or two but I know he enjoys a good fight.

"What are you, some kinda b-roll cop?" The first reptile grunts, he lifts up a dagger. It amazes me how anyone is able to pull of a heist with a three inch knife.

I laugh, "More of a vigilante," I say, stroking my own ego.

"Vigilante?" Badgerclops breaks the tense mood with a giggle, "do you even know what that means?"

I groan as the perpetrators laugh at his remark. The second one, much smaller than the first, pulls out what looks like a gun.

I swiftly pull out Geraldine, and disarming him with a quick slice at his hand. He reels back, dropping his weapon and holding his wound.

Badgerclops takes this as a signal to begin the fight. His right hand retracts into his arm, switching out for his own gun. Instead of bullets, his shoots disintegrating lasers, if its set to kill. Usually, he has it set to stun via my own request.

Badgerclops aims his arm at the first lizard, "Bad choice bucko," he says before firing a shot at the robber's foot.

The shot makes contact, causing the first reptile to grasp onto his foot in pain, hobbling on the uninjured one. Badgerclops smiles as he fires a shot at the second foot.

I pull in the second reptile with Geraldine at his throat. The third perpetrator, who hasn't said a word, runs out of the hotel, not hesitating to leave his accomplices behind.

"C'mon Ben!" The reptile in my grasp blurts out, "not again!"

"You'd better follow him while you still can," I demand.

The lizard with the dagger darts off, hobbling from one foot to the other. I release the wannabe gunman and he smartly follows suit.

"Thank you so much!” a soft voice sounds out from behind me.

I turn around, the woman behind the counter is somewhat crouched down. I notice that her jaw is completely metal, something the robbers obscured from my vision. She speaks with a bit of a lisp, probably from the lack of a bottom lip.

I smile and put my hands on the counter, it’s a bit high for me but that doesn’t stop me from basking in my heroism, “No problem ma’am.”

I feel a hand on my shoulder. I don’t even need to look up, that familiar pressure of Badgerclops’ arm is perfectly recognizable.

“Do y’all have any rooms available?” He asks.

Badgerclops’ unprofessional manner might be something that we have to address. Though it does have it’s charm, who becomes a legend by using phrases like “y’all” in front of people?

The woman nods, “Of course!” she smiles, grabbing a key from underneath her counter, “Here’s the key to the suite, free of charge!”

Her big green eyes look at us with admiration, I am about to decline the offer, but Badgerclops has other plans. He takes the key from her with a smile.

“Thank you so much,” he grasps my shoulder, almost commanding me to accept it.

I smile. The suite would probably be far out of our price range, and we did just save this woman the whole day’s income. A hero is allowed to accept gifts when they are offered.

We begin to walk in the direction of the rooms but are stopped by a gentle voice, “And, sir?”

We both turn to her, but it seems that she was referring to Badgerclops, as her gaze is directed much higher than my line of sight. She looks a bit embarrassed but continues speaking.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” she bites at her jaw, “where’d you get a prosthetic that advanced?”

Badgerclops smiles widely, “I actually made it myself, I got most of the parts while I was on the road though,” he chuckles, “I honestly couldn’t tell you where half of them came from.”

Badgerclops goes on, getting into the nitty-gritty of which parts are essential and which aren’t. Thankfully, the raccoon lady seems just as interested as he is. I, however, have no idea what either of them are talking about. “Electric pulses” and “Monkeywrench” are not words within my vocabulary. Though, watching Badgerclops excitedly explain his mechanical mastery is definitely enough to keep me entertained.

There is something about the look in his eye as he is able to let out all this information he can’t dump on me for a lack of understanding. It makes me want to learn about mechanics just to have that kind of conversation with him. I want to be able to make him that happy. Why would he stay with me if I couldn’t?

“Thank you so much sir, my pops hasn’t had a functioning prosthetic in his whole life,” she laughs softly, “Maybe I’ll be able to make him one.”

“No problem,” he grasps my shoulder again, “and good luck.”

With a smile, we begin walking again. The key in Badgerclops’ hand says room 19, and though I’d hate to tell him, I believe it’s on the second floor.

“Y’know, maybe I should make prosthetics for people,” he tilts his head, “like have a little shop where I’d settle down and-”

“NO!” I blurt out, stopping dead in my tracks.

“What?” Badgerclops looks at me like I’m crazy.

“If you did that,” I feel a knot in my throat, “Then we couldn’t keep going on these adventures and fighting bad guys and becoming legends.”

Badgerclops’ eye widens, and I see his lip quiver a bit, “Wait, are you serious?”

I nod.

“You, want to have me around?” he rubs the back of his neck, “Like, I’m not just, the muscle?”

I shake my head. Unable to form any words, I resort to breathing heavily and only answering in gestures.

I am quickly swooped up into Badgerclops’ strong arms and lifted off of the ground. He buries his face in my cape.

“I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” he lifts his head, “what you mean to me, I’ve never had a friend like you before.”

I smile, just letting him hug me in the middle of the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus, I'm in a play and it's crunch time boys. I went soft again on this chapter, sorry not sorry.
> 
> Also, have y'all heard the kinds of sounds Badgers make? Damn terrifying.


	7. Magnets and Melodies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mao Mao is now a thief, there's a jacuzzi in their hotel room, and Badgerclops has an odd taste in music.

After being herded out of the hallway by an annoyed mother with a crying child, Badgerclops and I shamefully continue to the second floor. Apparently, two grown men crying just outside of your room is not the most pleasant thing to be hearing at 10 pm.

“I can’t believe that chick just started yelling at us,” Badgerclops crosses his arms, “Like, can’t she respect that we were having a moment?”

I shake my head, embarrassed, “We probably woke up her baby.”

Badgerclops grips the key in his hand, fiddling with it in a bit of anger. He seems genuinely upset, which is odd. Badgerclops usually doesn’t get worked up that easily.

He suddenly stops, turns to his left, and begins jamming the key into a door. I look up to see the number 19 plastered on the front of the door. I watch for a moment as he struggles, the fingers of his right hand contorting and fumbling with the key.

“What the hell?” he shifts the key into his left hand, and manages to open the door with ease.

We both walk through the door and are greeted with a very well furnished room. The walls are a light shade of some sort of salmon color and have a few abstract paintings scattered across the room. The door leads to a small hallway, the bathroom on the left side, and the room opens up to the main part. A king-sized white bed sits up against the wall-

Wait, where’s the other bed? I sidestep Badgerclops and walk into the main room. There is one bed, two chairs sitting beside a small table, and a large flat-screen TV. No second bed.

Now don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with Badgerclops, we’ve been basically sleeping up against each other for a few weeks now. When you essentially camp every night, it’s not weird to huddle together for warmth. But when a it’s in an indoor setting, and it isn’t needed for warmth, it does come off as sort of... odd.

“Yo!” Badgerclops shouts behind me, drawing my attention, “There’s a jacuzzi in here!”

I chuckle and make my way to the bathroom door. Badgerclops has the light turned on and is fawning over a large hot-tub-esque bathtub. He turns his head and looks me in the eye.

“This is the best day of my life,” the excitement in his voice is contagious, “I ate some bomb food, went to Stacy’s, and now there’s a jacuzzi!”

I throw my head back in laughter. After returning my gaze to my companion, I notice something on his arm. A Lucky Ducky magnet is stuck on the back of his arm, hidden from his view.

I walk up to Badgerclops and pluck the magnet off of him, which sends a general look of relief to his face.

He looks at the magnet, “So that’s why it was acting weird,” he takes it from me with his left hand, “I guess it got stuck to me in Stacy’s.”

“We stole that?” I blurt out.

How would I ever become a hero if it got out that I assisted in the accidental theft of a Lucky Ducky magnet? I feel my heart beginning to beat faster.

Badgerclops just looks at me and smiles, “You’ve never shoplifted before?” he asks, a sly look spreading across his face.

“No!” I shout.

Badgerclops tosses me the stolen magnet and laughs, “It’s okay man, accidents happen,” he puts his hand on my shoulder, “besides, don’t you like Lucky Ducky?”

He’s right, I do. I really do like Lucky Ducky. Though I thought I kept it lowkey, but Badgerclops has proven time and time again that he is a mind-reader. 

I nod.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, I know you are,” he leans on the countertop next to him, releasing my shoulder, “besides, it was my arm that it got stuck to.”

I release the breath that I didn’t know I was holding in. It wasn’t me that took the magnet. It wasn’t Badgerclops’ fault either. Maybe it was just an accident.

Badgerclops smiles, “Now, if you’ve calmed down,” he points his thumb in the direction of the bathtub, “I’d like to enjoy this jacuzzi.”

I turn towards the door and begin to exit, but I am stopped by an unexpected offer.

“You’re welcome to join me if you want,” Badgerclops says.

My body locks up completely. Why did he say that? My face grows warm, and I feel a shiver run up my spine. A pond is one thing, but a jacuzzi? A jacuzzi is a very different environment.

What am I supposed to do? Do I say no and risk insulting him? Do I say yes? Would both of us even fit in that jacuzzi? Badgerclops is quite the sizable individual, and even though I am challenged in that department, I highly doubt we could both comfortably fit in this hotel bathtub.

“I-” my body manages to force out a strained vowel before my voice catches in my throat, “No, enjoy the privacy.”

I quickly walk out of the bathroom and slam my face into the bed as I hear a gentle giggle emanate from behind me. I have the Lucky Ducky magnet gripped to my chest, and I am able to both hear and feel my heartbeat. It’s racing faster than it would during a fight.

What just happened?

I replay the entire situation in my head, questioning Badgerclops’ motive in it all. Is he just trying to mess with me, or is he serious when he says things like that?

I let out a heavy sigh as I hear the water start running in the bathroom. Pushing myself up, I maneuver myself into a sitting position. I stare at the magnet in my hands, wondering what to do with it. I want to be a good citizen and return it, but part of me enjoys the thrill of having this sort of possession.

If I do return it, I could be mistaken as a thief that got cold feet. If I don’t, I’ll have to live with the guilt of having stolen an item from a helpless store clerk.

I fall back onto the pillow, sprawling out on my back. I wish Badgerclops’ arm wouldn’t have picked it up in the first place.

I can’t blame him though. He can’t help that his arm attracts magnets, it’s made of metal. That store must get things like that happening often, seeing how many of this town’s citizens have metallic appendages.

That does make me feel a bit better, knowing that things like that would happen often here.

Silence fills the room as Badgerclops must’ve turned off the water. The sweetness of the quiet is short-lived though. The blasting of drums explodes from the bathroom.

“We’re not gonna take it-” I can hear Badgerclops singing along to some sort of rock music.

I put my hand to my head, listening to whatever song he decided was best to play in a public hotel. He must be playing it from his arm, as I don’t believe he brought anything into the bathroom with him. 

Though I don’t particularly enjoy the genre of music, hearing Badgerclops sing something other than some on-the-fly tune is quite interesting. His voice is very soothing, even when it’s sing-yelling some lyrics about rebellion. I’m impressed with the high notes that he’s hitting, if I were to even attempt that I’d probably lose my voice for a few days.

Come to think of it, one of my sisters probably has a deeper voice than him. What kind of humiliation would Badgerclops face if he were to find that out? I couldn’t imagine it. Your voice is one of the first things someone gets to know about you. It is your first impression.

Badgerclops’ sweet, mellow voice certainly does not match his burly, rough exterior. He seems intimidating and dangerous until he speaks, I guess that’s why the opponents that we’ve encountered often disregard him until he’s already beaten them to the ground. He’s definitely an interesting, confusing character. 

I listen through Badgerclops’ cycle of songs, some about love, others about friendship, and a few about what I could only presume as sex, money, and drugs. Those in the last category were definitely not my favorites.

In the middle of some song talking about “Wanting it That Way,” which I can assume is an innuendo, I can hear the tub being drained and the door to the bathroom opens.

Badgerclops enters the room, soaking wet with a towel wrapped around him. I feel my cheeks get a bit warm, why? It’s not like we wear anything besides armor anyway. By we, I mean I, Badgerclops doesn’t wear anything aside from a utility belt. More the reason that I should NOT be getting flustered by him being in a towel.

He still has the music playing from his arm as he takes off the towel and begins violently shaking his head into it. He lifts his head to reveal a mess of fluffed up fur all over his head. I attempt to stifle a laugh into my hand.

“What?” Badgerclops says, drying himself off, which is causing more patches of fur to puff up.

“Your fur is,” I hold back another snicker, “very voluminous.”

Badgerclops rolls his eye, “You won’t be laughing when you feel how soft it is.”

What does he mean by that?

I drop off of the bed and walk over to where he is standing, and reach my hand out towards him. Upon contact with his left arm, I immediately understand what he’s talking about.

His fur, which usually lays flat, stands straight up. It allows me to feel what I thought was coarse hair, which in reality is one of the softest things I’ve ever felt.

Some sort of primal instinct takes over me, and I press my head into his arm, rubbing my cheek against the cotton-like fur. Though everything in my mind is telling me to specifically NOT do it, I push my head into him.

I am finally able to overcome my instincts and I back up, shaking my head. I can feel my entire body heat up.

“I-I’m,” I begin breathing heavily, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

At first, I expect Badgerclops to laugh at me, but I am greeted with an arguably worse reaction. He smiles and begins to swoon.

“Aww,” he coos, “That’s so cute!”

I stomp over to the bed, diving under the covers. I bury my face into the pillow for a moment, eyes squeezed shut.

After a few minutes, I am greeted with the movement of the covers, and another body next to me. I did promise Badgerclops that he would get to sleep in a bed tonight. A hero’s word is one of the most important things. Maybe I should get out of the bed so he can sleep comfortably.

Just as I consider leaving, a large arm wraps around me. My head being under the blanket, I find it a bit hard to breathe. I pop my head out, right into Badgerclops’ face.

He smiles before placing his chin on top of my head, and I allow myself to be buried in his chest fur. It’s so soft. I am barely able to stop myself from headbutting him again. Showing affection like that is a sign of weakness, and Badgerclops has already seen too many of my weaknesses. First, it was the paws, then the crippling self-doubt, now the headbutting. 

Badgerclops stretches out his right arm and turns off the light before grabbing the remote to the TV. I should’ve known that he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to watch some TV during his time in civilization. Though I don’t indulge in it often, I can’t blame him for seeking entertainment when he can.

As some cooking show plays in the background, I feel myself drifting off. I lean into Badgerclops and pull the covers up to my neck. Through the strands of fur that are semi-blocking my vision, I can see the cooking competition.

Though I know that I won’t be awake for the end of it, I have already chosen which contestant that I want to win. He chose to make a peach cobbler for his appetizer, who could eliminate someone so bold?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't been updating consistently, I'm in a play and it's crunch time lmao.
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this one, so I hope y'all liked it!


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